Aedan: 66 Months, Week 2
Owen: 24 Months, Week 4
This was a week we had been looking forward to for awhile because it was the week we were going to Upland for Tim and Pla's wedding. The kids love going to Upland, and going there to be in a wedding and seeing lots of family was even more exciting to them. My week was a little different because a lot of what I did had to do with preparing to leave on our trip, and we didn't follow our normal schedule.
On Sunday I worked on switching everything out in Samantha's and Aedan's closet. Aunt Christy had picked up lots of cute, new to us clothes, and I had them washed and laying on the ping pong table, but I hadn't taken the time to actually hang them up. Plus, with colder weather coming, I wanted to get the summer clothes out of their closets to make way for long sleeves and pants. It was a pretty big job that took most of the afternoon, but I felt good having it done, and the kids were excited to have these new clothes to choose from now. Samantha got a lot more "grown-up" looking clothes that she was excited about, and Aedan loved all the super hero stuff. (Now if I can get him to not just wear the same shirts every week.)
It seems like we've had a lot of birthdays to celebrate lately, and Monday was another one. It was Aunt Pla's birthday, so I took a video of the kids singing before we left for school that morning.
The dentist called me back that morning saying I could come in so they could look at my tooth. I had gotten a filling done the previous Thursday, and there was a part of my tooth that felt uneven when I bit down, so I wanted to see if they could do something about it. They said I could come in that morning, so I got some snacks ready for Owen and took him to the dentist with me. They took me right back, and they even brought a toy in from the waiting room that he was playing with so he would have something to amuse himself. Owen really is so easygoing with stuff like this though that I wasn't worried about it at all. He actually thought it was kind of interesting being in the dentist's office and watching what they were doing in my mouth.
After that, since we didn't have to go grocery shopping like we usually do on Mondays, we went back home to make banana bread for our small group snack that evening. Owen LOVES to help out in the kitchen. He is constantly moving the stools over to where we are at the counter so he can be a part of whatever it is that we are doing. I think it's really cute that he shows so much interest in helping in the kitchen. However, don't be fooled by how nicely and neatly he is scooping the flour into the measuring cup. A few minutes later he was using his hands to spread flour all over the counter, and then he threw a fit when I stopped him from burning his hands on the oven. Oh two-year-olds, you gotta love them!
It's fun just to watch the things that Owen discovers and finds interesting. He recently found these small ball shaped magnets and now he plays with them all the time, finding different things around the house that are magnetic, particularly on the piano. He will line them up across the top, stick them all underneath, put them on the screws around the piano, or even up and down the piano bench seat. I loved hearing him talk about what he was doing, what color they were, and what he was building. Then, at the end of the video, he was so excited and said, "See! See!"
Owen had shown some interest in pillows lately. In fact, when I rock him to sleep at nap time, he often wants to use his stuffed animal Monkey as a pillow. Sometimes he even falls asleep laying his head on top of that on my lap. So, I decided to give him a flat pillow for his bed on Monday afternoon for nap time. Here is my little boy fast asleep with his blankie, using a pillow for the first time. However, it didn't last long because he woke up crying after a short time of napping, and it was because he didn't want the pillow anymore, so I took the pillow out of his bed and held him up on my shoulder until he fell back asleep again. It was a nice thought, but he apparently isn't ready for a pillow yet. Nevertheless, he's super cute fast asleep in this picture.
Monday nights we have small group now, which as been great to be involved in, to get to know people from church, for the kids to also meet and play with other kids, and for Ben and I to study the Bible together with a group of people. It goes until 8:00, and then people usually hang out for a little longer to talk, so we don't usually get the kids to bed until 8:45 or so, making our nights a little more hectic, but it is worth it to us to be involved in community like that.
Tuesday morning was my day to get laundry done and start getting ready for our trip out of town on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I woke up with another horrible headache that day. I kept taking ibuprofen, but nothing seemed to be working. I continued getting stuff done though, which included going to get my hair cut. I hadn't gotten mine cut for awhile, and it was getting too long for my liking. I was able to find a place close by to make an appointment, and I took Owen along with me. Luckily, they had toys and a dog to entertain him while he waited for me, but he really did a great job being patient. He found it interesting to see the hairdresser use scissors on my hair and then use the blow dryer to style it at the end. It felt nice to have my hair washed, cut, and styled by someone else, and I'm glad I got it done because I was happy with how it looked afterwards. After that we went to story time at the library for a little while so Owen could play, and I could check out some new books to bring along with us on our trip.
After getting a lot of laundry done on Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday night was spent having the kids pick out clothes for our trip to pack in their suitcases, as well as getting everyone bathed/showered and nails cut. The kids were super excited about our trip, and they talked about how they would have trouble falling asleep on Tuesday night.
Our plan was to leave right after school on Wednesday, drive for about four hours, and stay overnight in a hotel before doing the next five hours of the drive the next day. I dropped Izzy off at the boarder that morning before dropping the kids off at the van for school, and she was so nervous about going back because I took her where we take her for the vet, and she hasn't enjoyed her previous experiences there when they have looked at her eyes. I was glad that I discovered this place does boarding because it is close to home, and they take the dogs on three walks a day for no charge, as well as provide them with a comfortable place to sleep.
Getting packed up for a trip always takes so much work, but luckily Owen was pretty happy that morning just playing on his own while I packed everything up. He discovered this fishing game on our game shelf and played with that for quite awhile. (I got another really bad headache, almost like a stress headache, which was strange because I didn't feel that stressed out, but my head was definitely hurting for most of this week.)
Even though we often remark that Owen seems to take after Samantha quite a bit, I am glad that he doesn't take after her in napping (at least not yet). It used to be that if Samantha knew we were going somewhere she would be too excited to nap. Owen didn't have much of a problem at all falling asleep that afternoon, which I was grateful for. I know I have taken a lot of pictures of him sleeping in my lap lately, but I know that these times will probably come to an end sooner rather than later, so I want to hold my baby while I can. For as long as I am able to rock him to sleep at nap time and enjoy these quiet, peaceful snuggles with him, I will do it. Oh my little Owen, my heart just melts when I look at you.
While Owen napped I got the rest of our stuff packed up and put in the back of the van so that we were ready when Ben and the kids got home. We were prepared with snacks, books, toys, coloring, and movies for the kids to watch on our trip. They were SO excited to get on the road. Everyone went to the bathroom, and then we were on our way, leaving home about 4:00. Here are our excited kids as we left home!
We drove for a couple hours before stopping at a McDonald's for dinner. (There really wasn't much of a choice besides McDonald's.) We ordered and ate our food, both of which took longer than it should have, and then we were back on the road again to our hotel. It was hard for the kids because they were getting tired and were bored of sitting in the car. Plus, it was dark so they couldn't really do anything in the car anymore towards the end. We played Moana for them to watch, which helped pass them time. Then, once we got to the hotel, we checked in and they offered us freshly popped popcorn. I was being nice and decided to let the kids have some popcorn while Ben went out to the car to get all of our stuff to bring to our room. The kids always get a renewed energy once they are out of the car and in the hotel room, so it took a little bit of work and stern voices to get them to get ready for bed and calm down. We got adjoining rooms and set Owen's pack and play up in the bathroom. It was 9:20 by the time we got the kids in bed. They were all very tired after a long day of school and getting to bed so late, so we were hoping it would be a good night's sleep for everyone. The hotel we stayed at had a hot tub, so Ben and I took turns going down and sitting in it before we tucked ourselves into bed as well.
The kids woke up at their normal time on Thursday morning, even though we were hoping they would sleep in some since they were up so late on Wednesday night, but what can you do, right? We got ourselves dressed, packed up, and went downstairs to eat breakfast before getting on the road. As we were driving, we were keeping our eyes open for a good place to stop for lunch, we were going to try and make it halfway to Upland, but Owen wasn't starting to get sleepy and we really didn't want him to fall asleep in the car even before lunch, so we stopped earlier than we were originally planning. However, it worked out well because we found a Skyline Chili to eat it. We haven't eaten at a Skyline since our time living in Oxford, Ohio over three years ago, so it was kind of fun to experience that food again. The kids enjoyed their little crackers, the hot dogs covered in cheese, and their Oreos for dessert. Definitely not the healthiest lunch we've ever had, but it did the job.
Getting out of the car was good for everyone and allowed the kids to stretch their legs, dance around, and, in Owen's case, jump on the booth seat.
You would think Upland is a vacation destination with how our kids talk and feel about going to Upland. They were SO excited to be there again, especially since we haven't been there to visit since before we moved out to Pennsylvania in June. They couldn't wait to jump out of the car, say hello to Ema and Papa, and start playing outside. The weather was beautiful that day, nice and warm and sunny, perfect shorts and t-shirt weather. Samantha and Aedan got right on the bikes, zooming around the driveway, while Owen convinced Papa to give him a ride around the yard on the riding mower before finally busting out what they call "Blue." Samantha even got to steer Blue around the yard when she was just riding along with Papa. They really thought riding on that was fun.
Both kids got quite a lot of work from school since they were missing two days, so we decided to spend some time on Thursday afternoon as well as Friday morning working on school work with them. Samantha was not very happy about us making her do that because she just wanted to enjoy her time in Upland, but we were trying to explain to her that Friday afternoon and all day Saturday would be busy, so we wanted to get her work done ahead of time so she could just play and not worry about her work the rest of the time.
Friday was going to be a pretty rainy day, so in the moments it wasn't raining, we tried to let the kids go out and play. They hate being cooped up in the house, especially in Upland when they just enjoy being outside on their property so much. After lots of tears and attitude from Samantha, I finally got through all of her work with her. Aedan was also having a hard time listening and making good choices that day, and I knew they were probably just tired from being up too late on Wednesday night, and it was carrying over. Plus, I know Samantha was anxiously waiting for Alaina to get there so they could play. She loves to see and play with Alaina, so we always enjoy it when we can all get together in Upland. Especially since we have lived farther away the last few years, we don't get to see family as much as we would like, and that is hard for the kids sometimes. We want to try and keep their bonds with cousins and other family members as strong as we can.
Friday afternoon was busy with lots of people coming in the house. Pla and all her bridesmaids came to the house to cook up some Thai food to serve at the wedding. Several relatives and extended family members arrived, and it was a full house. Owen took awhile to get to calm down and finally take a nap that afternoon, but I was glad when I was finally able to settle him down. The kids were able get some play time in with Alaina, and that made them happy. Things were slowly coming together for the big wedding day on Saturday.
On Saturday there was a long list of things to get done before the wedding started at 3:00. We started with getting things set up outside for the ceremony, Ben and Owen moved the chairs down using Blue, and I helped get the flower arrangements set up for where the bridal party would stand. Samantha and Aedan even did a great job of sweeping all the leaves out of the garage for Ema. The kids were excited to help in any way they could, but most of all they were glad that the rain had passed through, and even though it was a little chilly, they were able to spend pretty much the whole day running around outside, helping with things for the wedding, and playing however they saw fit.
Here's a cute little video of Aedan dancing once they got the music set up for the ceremony. I love his little dance moves and how he feels so free to just be himself and dance how he wants to. I wish that people would never lose this childhood innocence where you be yourself no matter who's watching and feel no level of self-consciousness. I love this little boy so much. He makes me smile on a daily basis.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches, we got Owen down for an earlier nap so that way he would be awake and ready in enough time for the wedding. Ben and I then took the chance to get showered and dressed ourselves before taking on the task of getting all our kids ready. Samantha wanted her hair pulled back with two long braids and the bottom curled. I brought my curling iron with me, and she was really excited for me to curl her hair for her. Aedan was excited to put on his fancy suit, and even though we had to wake Owen up from his nap, he was happy to get dressed in his suit to match Aedan and get ready for the wedding. Here are all the cute kiddos ready for the wedding. The dresses looked beautiful on the girls, and the boys looked super handsome in their suits. They matched very well together.
Before heading out the door, I had Alaina take a picture of our family together. We all dress up pretty nicely, if I say so myself! Everyone was so excited to get outside and start the wedding.
I went out the front door with the kids to get them set up in the line to walk down the aisle.
Here is a great video one of Pla's friends took of everyone processing in, and I'm so glad she captured this video because I wasn't able to get around to take a video of them processing in. The kids did a great job walking in, being very brave, and taking their jobs very seriously.
Owen had a very special job in the ceremony, to hold a flag that said, "Here Comes the Bride." He was holding Papa's hand as he walked down the aisle, and was so brave, not acting afraid at all, but I'm sure it helped having Papa by his side.
Here are some other pictures I took from the ceremony and afterwards.
Pla's bridesmaids were really excited to take pictures with our kids. Here are some great ones of the the bridesmaids and flower girls together. Samantha is so happy in these pictures, and I love her sweet, genuine smile.
After the ceremony, the photographer took pictures with the kids first so that way they could run off and enjoy the cookies and cider. Here are a few candid pictures of the kids standing around and talking to Tim and Pla.
I love these pictures of the kids. They all look so nice dressed up, and even though Owen had trouble looking at the photographer because of the large flash that made him squint his eyes, I think they still get some pretty good pictures of everyone together.
Congratulations Uncle Tim and Aunt Pla! It was an honor to be included in your wedding day!
After pictures were over, everyone gathered in the tent for some food off the buffet line. Everything tasted very good, but the kids were too excited to eat much of anything, and it was hard to keep Owen sitting down. They were free to run around and play some, but it was getting chilly outside, and we didn't want them getting their nice clothes dirty. However, telling them that the cake was going to be cut got them to come back into the tent pretty quickly. The kids thought it was funny when Pla smashed cake all over Uncle Timmy's face!
After having some wedding cake, we decided to go in and get changed. In fact, we were invited to go swimming at a hotel that some family was staying at, and I thought it would be helpful to get the kids out of there during the clean up period, while also giving them something fun to do to spend the rest of their evening. However, before we left, the kids got some really sweet pictures with Aunt Pla and her bridesmaids.
I love these next two pictures the best. The kids are so excited to have a new aunt!
I left Ben at the house to help clean up and tear down, while I took the kids to the hotel for swimming. There were other kids that were kids of Ben's cousins, so it was fun for everyone. We haven't gone swimming for awhile, so the kids had a blast. Samantha is always just such a little fish, jumping in the water, and swimming underneath the water with her goggles on. Aedan was just as eager in jumping in the water, and now with his goggles he has little fear about getting his head under the water. He even wanted to take his floatie off for awhile, but it was too hard for me to be able to keep an eye on him and Owen, so he had to put it back on again. Owen was also a total wild man in the pool. He jumped in with no fear whatsoever, over and over again. In fact, there was one time I couldn't get over to him in time as he jumped off the wall, and he just jumped in anyways. His head went under the water, and he sputtered a little bit, but he was just fine and couldn't wait to get out of the water and do it again. We swam until almost 7:30, and they would have swum much longer if I would have let them, but I knew it was time to get back to the house and get the kids to bed, as we had a long day of driving ahead of us on Sunday.
(Blog about Ocotber 6-12, 2019)
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